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Guatemalan · Central American

Rellenitos de plátano

Vegetarian

A much-loved Guatemalan sweet: soft dough of very ripe plantain wrapped around sweetened black beans with chocolate and cinnamon, fried golden and rolled in sugar.

Rellenitos de plátano is a Guatemalan dessert, ready in about 1 hour 20 minutes and made with plantain and black beans (cooked or canned). It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
30 min
Cook
35 min
Rest
15 min
Total
1 h 20 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
269

Ingredients

6 servings (12 rellenitos)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Boil the plantains (opens in a new tab) in their skins until very soft, 15 minutes. Peel, mash smoothly with the salt and cool for 15 minutes.

    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Blend or mash the beans, then cook them in a dry pan with 2 tbsp sugar (opens in a new tab), the chocolate (opens in a new tab) and half the cinnamon (opens in a new tab) until a thick paste forms. Cool.

  3. Step 3

    With oiled hands, flatten a walnut-size ball of plantain (opens in a new tab) in your palm, fill with a teaspoon of beans and close into a small oval. Add a little flour if the dough is too sticky.

    • 15 min

  4. Step 4

    Shallow-fry in 2 cm of oil at 175 °C, turning, until deep golden. Drain, then roll in the remaining sugar (opens in a new tab) and cinnamon (opens in a new tab).

    Food safety: Hot oil spits when wet plantain touches it — lower each piece in gently and never leave the pan.

About this dish

Origin
Guatemala · Well documentedMore food from Guatemala
Dish
Dessert · Snack · Desserts · Sweets & confectionery · Street food
Cooking method
Boiled, Deep-fried
Taste
sweet, fruity, earthy, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Without the optional extras: No gluten ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Child-friendly
Cook more with
Plantain · Black beans (cooked or canned) · Dark chocolate (70–85%) · Sugar · Cinnamon
Techniques
Shallow-frying · Deep-frying · Boiling

Allergens

  • May contain: Milkfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)
  • May contain: Peanutsfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)
  • May contain: Tree nutsfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)
  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour
  • May contain: Soyfrom dark chocolate (70–85%)

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

269 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 148 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 7%
  • Carbohydrate 66%
  • Fat 27%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy269 kcal183 kcal
Protein5.1 g3.5 g
Carbohydrate47.1 g31.9 g
Net carbohydrate41.3 g28 g
Sugars23.4 g15.8 g
Added sugars——
Fibre5.8 g3.9 g
Fat8.5 g5.8 g
Saturated fat1.7 g1.2 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium31 mg21 mg
Salt equivalent0.1 g0.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
618 mg
Calcium
22 mg
Iron
2 mg
Magnesium
72 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
51 µg
Vitamin C
17 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
79 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: all-purpose flour.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • The plantains must be very ripe and sweet; yellow plantains give a starchy, stiff dough.

Storage

  • Best the day they are made; keep 2 days in the fridge.

Reheating

  • Warm in a hot oven or air fryer for 5 minutes.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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